Virginie Viard elevated to keep Chanel, Lagerfeld’s dream alive
Emmanuel Ukudolo l Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria – The late German designer and creative director of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld has named his pretty cat, Choupette in his will to inherit his fortune estimated by vogue to be in the region of $380 million or about $200 million based on other estimates.
Choupette has appeared in a lot of commercials earning a fortune for the late designer. The pretty cat is said to be on a special diet, with furs brushed four times a day and hates to be alone.
“She also generates her own income, having strong social media presence and a cosmetics line”, those managing Choupette said. Speaking on Karl Lagerfeld’s demise, Chanel said he is an extraordinary creative individual.
According to Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld reinvented the brand’s codes created by Gabrielle Chanel: the CHANEL jacket and suit, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and costume jewelry.
They described him as a prolific creative mind with endless imagination, adding that Karl Lagerfeld explored many artistic horizons, including photography and short films.
“The House of CHANEL benefited from his talent for all the branding campaigns related to Fashion since 1987. Finally, one cannot refer to Karl Lagerfeld without mentioning his innate sense of repartee and self-mockery”, they said.
Alain Wertheimer, CEO of CHANEL hailed his creative genius, generosity and exceptional intuition. “Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which widely contributed to the House of CHANEL’s success throughout the world.
“Today, not only have I lost a friend, but we have all lost an extraordinary creative mind to whom I gave carte blanche in the early 1980s to reinvent the brand.”
Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion at CHANEL, said: “Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Karl Lagerfeld left his mark on the legend of Gabrielle Chanel and the history of the House of CHANEL.
According to him, Karl Lagerfeld steadfastly promoted the talent and expertise of CHANEL’s ateliers and Métiers d’Art, allowing this exceptional know-how to shine throughout the world.
“The greatest tribute we can pay today is to continue to follow the path he traced by – to quote Karl – ‘continuing to embrace the present and invent the future’.”
Meanwhile, Virginie Viard, Director of CHANEL’s Fashion Creation Studio and Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator for more than 30 years, has been entrusted by Alain Wertheimer with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on.
